Tire rubbing strut - please help - BMW 1 Series Coupe Forum / 1 Series Convertible Forum (1M / tii / 135i / 128i / Coupe / Cabrio / Hatchback) (BMW E82 E88 128i 130i 135i)

e82n54 · 12-02-2012, 11:07 PM

THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED (SEE POST #5). THE TIRE WASN'T RUBBING WHILE DRIVING.

My new tire is rubbing the strut (passenger front), but it's only one tire.

The other front tire isn't rubbing at all (or maybe I should say it isn't rubbing yet).

Wheels:
TRMotorsports C2 (TireRack brand) 17x8.5 ET40 (square setup)

Tires:
Hankook RS3 245/40/17

Suspension:
Vorshlag camber plates, everything else is stock (135 sport suspension)

Observations:
- The tire doesn't seem to touch the strut when the car is parked. It seems to have a few millimeters of clearance when parked.
- The dust on the tire doesn't complete a full circle, but it is on most of the tire. So either the tire or wheel is uneven or it somehow moves closer and hits the strut occasionally while driving.
- The dust rubs off easily, and I see no sign of damage to the tire.
- I've driven about 100 miles on the street only, so it'll probably get worse at the track.

- Tire pressures are about the same ranging from 36 cold to 42+ hot.
- I did make some aggressive left turns, but only slow right turns.

Potential cause:
I think it's probably happening during an aggressive left turn, which loads the front passenger tire and suspension. Somehow the tire may be hitting the strut during cornering. I imagine the other tire will rub too if I make some aggressive right turns.

Next steps:
1) Do nothing... What are the consequences of leaving it alone? Could it damage the tire or be unsafe? I guess worst case is if it rubs long enough I imagine it could weaken the rubber enough to cause a blowout. What are the chances? Maybe I should I just leave it alone and watch it. Thoughts?
2) Get spacers... I don't want to rub the fender, and the outer edge is already very close.

blutattoo · 12-02-2012, 11:14 PM

Interested to hear peoples opinions. I appear to have the identical issue even though I have different tires.

Tommeh · 12-02-2012, 11:32 PM

Maybe your rim is warped. Unfortunately for me I have a warped tire, but it does not hit my struts... But it has chipped and bent my front fenders from to much rub.

HeelToe · 12-03-2012, 10:48 PM

I'd go with the 3mm spacer option and then downsize to 235 after this set of tires is spent.

e82n54 · 12-04-2012, 06:38 PM

I called TireRack technical support and explained the situation. I was told the rubbing probably happened while I was mounting the wheel. This was the first wheel I installed, so I put the wheel bolts in most of the way, and then spun the wheel to see if there was any resistance. Now that I think about it, I did actually feel resistance, but it magically went away after half a spin so I disregarded it. Turns out the wheel was probably angled and the tire was resting against the strut since I hadn't tightened the bolts all the way. This caused the dust to rub off onto the tire for only a portion of the turn. I was also told that if it were rubbing while driving the paint on the strut would likely be rubbed off by now, but in my case only the dirt rubbed off, and the paint appears undamaged. So they think it's not rubbing while driving.

I decided to remount the wheel to see how much clearance there is after torquing the wheel bolts. There's tons of space! Looks like at least 3/4 of an inch or more.

It looks like TireRack was right on, and it doesn't rub while driving!

Thanks TireRack!!

12-02-2012, 11:07 PM	#1
e82n54 Private First Class Drives: '09 135i 6MT Alpine White Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 168 iTrader: (1)	Tire rubbing strut - please help THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN RESOLVED (SEE POST #5). THE TIRE WASN'T RUBBING WHILE DRIVING. My new tire is rubbing the strut (passenger front), but it's only one tire. The other front tire isn't rubbing at all (or maybe I should say it isn't rubbing yet). Wheels: TRMotorsports C2 (TireRack brand) 17x8.5 ET40 (square setup) Tires: Hankook RS3 245/40/17 Suspension: Vorshlag camber plates, everything else is stock (135 sport suspension) Observations: - The tire doesn't seem to touch the strut when the car is parked. It seems to have a few millimeters of clearance when parked. - The dust on the tire doesn't complete a full circle, but it is on most of the tire. So either the tire or wheel is uneven or it somehow moves closer and hits the strut occasionally while driving. - The dust rubs off easily, and I see no sign of damage to the tire. - I've driven about 100 miles on the street only, so it'll probably get worse at the track. - Tire pressures are about the same ranging from 36 cold to 42+ hot. - I did make some aggressive left turns, but only slow right turns. Potential cause: I think it's probably happening during an aggressive left turn, which loads the front passenger tire and suspension. Somehow the tire may be hitting the strut during cornering. I imagine the other tire will rub too if I make some aggressive right turns. Next steps: 1) Do nothing... What are the consequences of leaving it alone? Could it damage the tire or be unsafe? I guess worst case is if it rubs long enough I imagine it could weaken the rubber enough to cause a blowout. What are the chances? Maybe I should I just leave it alone and watch it. Thoughts? 2) Get spacers... I don't want to rub the fender, and the outer edge is already very close. Last edited by e82n54; 12-04-2012 at 06:40 PM.
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12-02-2012, 11:14 PM	#2
blutattoo First Lieutenant Drives: 2012 135i Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Sacramento Posts: 300 iTrader: (1) Garage List 2012 BMW 135i [0.00]	Interested to hear peoples opinions. I appear to have the identical issue even though I have different tires.

12-02-2012, 11:32 PM	#3
Tommeh Private First Class Drives: 135i Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Texas Posts: 183 iTrader: (0)	Maybe your rim is warped. Unfortunately for me I have a warped tire, but it does not hit my struts... But it has chipped and bent my front fenders from to much rub.

12-03-2012, 10:48 PM	#4
HeelToe Captain Drives: Rapidly from A to B Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 750 iTrader: (1) Garage List 2013 BMW 135is [0.00] 2006 330i [5.00] 2000 323Ci [0.00]	I'd go with the 3mm spacer option and then downsize to 235 after this set of tires is spent.

12-04-2012, 06:38 PM	#5
e82n54 Private First Class Drives: '09 135i 6MT Alpine White Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 168 iTrader: (1)	I called TireRack technical support and explained the situation. I was told the rubbing probably happened while I was mounting the wheel. This was the first wheel I installed, so I put the wheel bolts in most of the way, and then spun the wheel to see if there was any resistance. Now that I think about it, I did actually feel resistance, but it magically went away after half a spin so I disregarded it. Turns out the wheel was probably angled and the tire was resting against the strut since I hadn't tightened the bolts all the way. This caused the dust to rub off onto the tire for only a portion of the turn. I was also told that if it were rubbing while driving the paint on the strut would likely be rubbed off by now, but in my case only the dirt rubbed off, and the paint appears undamaged. So they think it's not rubbing while driving. I decided to remount the wheel to see how much clearance there is after torquing the wheel bolts. There's tons of space! Looks like at least 3/4 of an inch or more. It looks like TireRack was right on, and it doesn't rub while driving! Thanks TireRack!!